Memories
by bookwormgirlLH
Summary: How will the Brockmans cope when Pete is diagnosed with a debilitating disease... Please R&R!
1. Forgetting

Sue had began to notice changes in Pete, but never thought about how it could be the start of something serious. The slight lapses in his memory, such as when he left his briefcase at work or lost the car keys, didn't phase her , she presumed that they were the result of sleep deprivation - Pete was an insomniac - or stress from work. But then something happened that made Sue realise that her husband really was beginning to sink into a serious, debilitating condition...

"Come on kids, wagons roll!" Sue called from the hallway, trying to sound cheerful even though she was getting wound up - it was time to leave and no one was ready yet.

Pete ran down the stairs before hurriedly pulling on his shoes, followed by eleven year old Jake, who was looking anxious.

"Mum, I told them to hurry up, but they ignored me -and now we're going to be late!" Jake cried dramatically.

"We're not going to be late, Jake we'll get there in time. " Sue said trying to reassure her panicking son.

Pete looked puzzled, his mind going blank - he had no idea who the boy standing next to him was. "Jake!" He repeated uncertainly. "You're not Jake."

Jake and Sue looked at each other in disbelief.

"Dad, I'm Jake, your son." Jake said, reaching out for his father's hand.

Pete flinched away from him, a look of horror flashing across his face. "What's happening to me? Of course you're Jake." He put his head in his hands.

"It's alright Pete," Sue pulled her trembling husband into a hug, "It's alright..."


	2. Disbelief

Sue pulled away from the clearly distraught Pete as Karen thundered down the stairs, her school uniform and hair drenched,

"Ben sprayed me with the shower head! " she screamed.

Ben followed her, his own clothes pretty soaked, "That's a lie!" He insisted. "She sprayed me first!"

"No I didn't! " Karen caught sight of Pete, who by now was leaning against the wall, looking terrified. "Daddy? " she said nervously.

"Karen?" He asked, expecting to get her name wrong.

"Yes?" She replied in confusion. Pete sighed in relief. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Karen, I'm fine." He said, smiling weakly.

By now Jake was sitting in the car, and yelled "we really are going to be late now! "

Sue looked again at her husband before snapping into action. "Let's get you two changed." She said, taking her youngest children by the hands and leading them up the stairs.

Pete wandered out of the open door towards the car, thoughts spinning around his mind, " How could I forget his name? I know I've been getting forgetful lately, but how could I forget my eldest son?" He mumbled, eyes filling with tears.

He blinked rapidly as he sat in the passenger seat, looking at Jake's reflection in the rear view mirror. The boy was looking very nervous, and kept glancing impatiently at his watch.

"We'll get you to school on time, Jake." Pete said, turning around in his seat, but Jake's face told hhim that his son didn't believe him,

Five minutes later, Sue came running down the garden path with Karen and Ben, both of them now dry. She shoved them lnto the back seat, where Jake helped them with their seat belts, before getting behind the wheel and heading off.

They got Jake to school in the nick of time, and as soon as Sue parked the car, he jumped out, not even pausing to say goodbye. By the time they reached the primary school, however, Ben and Karen were both late, but neither of them seemed particularly bothered about it.

"How late will I be by the time we get to my school?" Pete asked, worried that his head teacher would have a go at him, and Pete knew that since the alleged racism story, he wasn't exactly in his good books.

"You're not going to work today, Pete." Sue said quietly.

"Why?" Pete asked.

"When Karen and Ben were getting changed earlier, I phoned the doctors, and you've got an appointment in half an hour."

Pete didn't need to question her - he knew why, it was because his memory loss was getting worse.

They were soon at the doctors, and after signing in, Sue and Pete sat in the waiting room. He wasdreading this appointment, but no matter how hard he tried to stop the hands ticking around the clock, the time arived : "Pete Brockman" the doctor called, and Pete reluctantly entered the consultation room, expecting the worst - which he got...


	3. The Doctors

Sue sat with her hands clasped in her lap, waiting for Pete to return. He had been in the room for nearly an hour, and she was beginning to suspect the worst - that there was something seriously wrong with him.

A door opened and Sue looked up to see Pete storming out of the consultation room, a look of fear and rage on his face.

"Mr Brockman!" The doctor called after him, but Pete ignored him, rushing out of the doctors surgery into the car park. Sue chased after her husband, but knew that if he began to run, she would be unable to catch him. She suddenly saw him standing ahead of her, and went over, taking her husband's arm

"I can't remember where you parked the car. " He whispered without looking at Sue. "Oh, Sue!" Pete suddenly cried, turning to face her.

"What is it Pete?" Sue asked, voice wavering.

"He thinks I've got Alzeimers!" Pete shouted, before breaking down, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The sight of Pete crying scared Sue more than the news, for he was always strong, even when the kids ended up in hospital. She was so shocked that she didn't know what to say, so Sue just held her husband tight, whispering soothingly to him as she rubbed his back.

Pete tried to continue , but his voice broke and he was sobbing so hard that he could barely breath. "He-he ran all these tests on me, even a blood test, and he doesn't know for certain, so he's going to refer me to a neurologist at the... hospital, but he thinks that it's very likely that I have early onset Alzeimers disease." He said it hastily, as onelong sentence.

"Oh, Pete." Sue finally said, turning her husband so he was looking at her, staring him straight in the eye, "It's going to be alright -"

Pete cut her off, "How can everything be alright? I'm going to end up like your dad! I'm going to forget everything, including you and thevkids! Most people with it die in seven years - I won't even make it to 53 and you think everything's going to be fine!" He screamed hysterical, trying to pull away, but Sue had a tight grip on him.

"I didn't say that everything is going to be fine Pete, it'll be hard - but we'll get through it together." She said gently. "And when the time comes that you need a carer, I'll be there for you-"

"No." Pete interjected firmly. "I don't want you to go through that - it's not fair on you."

Sue looked at her husband, amazed by how selfless he was being in a time of complete dispair. "I married you because I love you, and I want to care for you, Pete." She replied softly. "Even when you forget who I am, I'll just look at that wedding photo and remember for the both of us..." sue reached up, gently kissing his cheek, before leading the still weeping Pete towards the car and driving them up to the hospital.


	4. Diagnosis

Two weeks later, Karen ran into the kitchen, where the others were having breakfast, carrying an envelope. She passed it to Pete, who was drinking coffee whist attempting to do a crossword puzzle, "It's for you, Daddy."

Pete opened the letter, quickly scanning the page. Sue hurried over to him as she saw his face crumple.

"Kids, can you go and watch telly for a minute! " Sue asked. They looked puzzled, but went into the living room, shutting the door behind them. A few seconds later, Sue and Pete could hear the roar of the telly with it's volume up way too loud. She turned back to Pete. "What does it say?"

Pete, unable to speak, passed the letter to his wife, who read it aloud, "_Dear Mr Brockman, After your recent tests, blood test and CT scan, we are ssorry to inform you have been diagnosed with early onset Alzeimers disease- _ ohPete, I'm so sorry." Sue said as tears began to pour down his face.

"We can't just deny it any longer." Pete whispered, knuckling his eyes furiously. "We can't just pretend that the doctor made a mistake - the hospital tests have come back positive, so I've got it! " He stood up so quickly that the chair clattered to the ground and he swayed drunkenly, having to grip the table to stop himself collapsing.

"Sit down, Pete." Sur said urgently, terrified that he was going to faint.

Pete, forgetting that he had just knocked his chair over, tried to sit down, but as there was no chair beneath him, he crashed to the floor, smacking his coxyx into the lino.

"Oh my god, Pete, are you alright!" Sue cried, trying to help him to his feet.

"What was that?" Karen called, running into the kitchen, followed by Ben and Jake. Seeing their dad on the floor, they rushed over, Jake helping Sue stand Pete up. They led him into the living room, where Pete collapsed onto a sofa.

"What's going on? " ben asked, glancing nervously at his trembling dad.

"It's private, Ben." Sue said.

'No, " Pete interupted her, "They deserve to know." Jake sat doen beside Pete, whist Sue sat between Ben and Karen on the other sofa. Pete took a derp, shuddering breath, "I've bern diagnosed with early onset Alzeimers disease, which is what they call it if you get it under the age of 65." Jake gasped, but Ben and Karen didn't understand.

"What's that - is it like cancer?" Ben asked tactlessly.

"Shut up Ben!" Jake shouted. Pete took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"No, it's-it's not cancer, Ben." Pete said weakly, but his voice tailed off as a lump appeared in his throat. He looked pleadingly at Sue, silently asking her to explain for him.

"Alzeimers disease, Ben, is a brain condition where your brain gradually breaks down, causing memory loss, loss of the ability to do lots of things like reading and writing and..." She stopped, not wanting to say it - but Ben guessed.

"Is Dad going to die?" He asked. Pete whimpered and his eyes filled with tears. Sue looked at het husband, who nodded.

"Unless they find a cure, the condition is always terminal." She mumbled, trying not to cry.

"So is that a yes?" Ben asked, his voice going high pitched with emotion.

"Yes." Sue whispered as Karen and Ben began to cry, and tears trickled down Pete's face.


	5. Birthday?

Six months later, it was Karen's sixth birthday, and she was having a party. Sue was dreading it, she couldn't bear the idea of having seven six year olds running around the house, especially as they were all as, if not more, noisy than Karen herself. They were all due to arrive at midday, so Karen was incredibly hyperactive all morning.

"What time is it now, Mum!?" Karen yelled, thundering down the stairs and bursting into the kitchen, where Sue and Pete were laying out plates of food. Ssue had set Pete, whose memory loss had got worse, the challenge of setting out the plates in the right places, for the doctor had told her that keeping Pete's brain active was one of the best things for him. But he was struggling: he repeatedly moved the same plates, forgetting that he had already done it, and had even forgotten what he was meant to be doing once, ending up trying to clear the table, but Sue luckily stopped him dumping the food in the bin in the nick of time.

Sue sighed in response to Karen's shout. "Five to twelve." She replied.

Karen squealed as the doorbell rang, and ran into the hallway. Jake groaned loudly from the living room before running upstairs "I'm getting out of here. " he called.

"I wish I could too." Pete muttered. Sue tutted at him, but was distracted by a muddy, drenched Ben running inside from the garden, his smart outfit ruined.

"Ben!" She shouted, dragging him upstairs, "Can you get the door, Pete?" She asked.

Pete nodded, and went to answer it. He was met by a young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes and, to his surprise, a lot of make up for a six year old, wearing a party frock and shoes with kitten heels. Standing behind her was a woman who he presumed was her mother, who looked exactly like her daughter, except older and a lot more extravagant.

"Hi, this is Tanya!" The woman said enthusiastically, "You must be Mr Brockman." She smiled, holding out her hand.

Pete looked incredibly confused. He took her hand and shook it, but said, "Hello, what can I do for you?"

The look on Tanya's mother's face mirrored Pete's. "We're here for the party." She said, glancing nervously at Pete.

"The party?" He repeated uncertainly.

Karen came running down the stairs, and pushed past Pete, giving her friend a hug. "Tanya!"

"Happy Birthday, Karen." Tanya said, holding out a present.

"So is there still a party?" Tanya's mum asked.

"Of course!" Karen said. She looked up at Pete. "Did you forget it was my birthday, Daddy?" She said softly, and Pete responded with a nod. Karen shrugged, not phased by her dad's memory loss any more.

Tanya and Karen ran back into the house, heading for the kitchen, but Tanya's mum stared at Pete in disbelief, " You forgot your own daughter's birthday?" From the way she looked at him, it was obvious to Pete that she thought he was an awful parent.

Sue appeared from behind Pete, and linked arms with him. "I think you'll find that my husband has Alzeimers disease and can't help his memory loss. He is a brilliant Dad, so don't you dare look at him that way - he can't help it." Sue glared at her, her voice firm and slightly aggressive.

Tanya's mum looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry - I had no idea..."

"Well don't judge people before you know them." Sue said. "You can pick Tanya up at six - goodbye." She slammed the door on Tanya's mum. "The bloody bitch, who does she think she is?" Sue exploded.

"I'm not a bad dad, am I?" Pete whispered.

"of course not, Pete." Sue said so firmly that Pete smiled weakly, knowing that Sue was telling the truth - but he couldn't ignore the fear in the back of his mind that told him Sue was lying, and that he was getting worse...


	6. A joke?

"Oh bloody hell!" Pete muttered, checking his pockets as he sat attempting to mark history essays.

"What is it, Dad." Jake asked. He was sat next to Pete at the dining table, headphones in, typing on his laptop.

"I've lost my bloody pen." He moaned irritably.

Jake sighed, "Here, you can borrow mine." He handed Pete a biro.

"Thanks, Jakester." Pete smiled slightly.

Jake knew his dad was getting worse; this was the fifth pen he'd lost in a week, and two days ago, he left his bag and coat at work.

"Hey, Jake, this one here mixed up Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King!" Pete chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Really, can I see." Jake wasn't really interested, but Mum and told him to keep Pete talking, so he pulled the piece of paper towards him and read aloud, " 'Martin Luther King, who gave the famous I Had A Dream speech-' Dad that's right."

"For God's sake!" Pete shouted, slamming his palms into the table, face flushing with anger.

"It's alright, Dad." Jake said, trying to sound reassuring, but his voice was shaking nervously.

"What was that?" Sue called, running into the kitchen, a nit comb still in her hand.

"I can't even remember the stuff I learned for my degree!" Pete yelled, but his anger was disappearing as quickly as it arrived, and he found his voice wavering.

Sue took hold of his arm, "I know, why don't you help Dad with his history, Jake?" She suggested brightly.

"Alright." Jake mumbled, picking up the mark scheme and flicking through it.

Sue opened her mouth to speak, but the she heard a knock at the door, and went to answer it. She struggled to suppress a groan as she saw who it was,

"Angela."

"Hello, Sue!" Angela said excitedly, pulling Sue into a hug, "How are you all?"

"Well-" Sue began, but Angela had pushed past her, and had already entered the kitchen.

"Hello, Pete, hello Jake." She smiled cheerfully at the pair of them.

"Hello?" Pete said politely, like she was a friend of Jake's he had never met before, "Who are you?"

Angela looked confused, "What are you talking about, Pete, it's me, Angela, Sue's sister."

"Sue has a sister?"

"Look, Pete, if this is some kind of joke, its not funny." She snapped.

Sue appeared behind her, mouthing apologetically at Pete. "Ange, there's something we need to tell you."

"I'm surprised you can remember my name, Sue, I though you'd be playing along with Pete's stupid joke."

"He's not joking." Jake snapped through gritted teeth.

Angela ignored him, looking both wounded and irritated at the same time.

Pete saw this, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you Angela, its just, I couldn't remember who you were."

"Why, have you got Alzheimer's like Dad?" She asked flippantly, still believing they were winding her up.

"Yes." was all Pete said.

Angela looked shocked, "I'm sorry, I had no idea." she mumbled.

"That's what I wanted to tell you." Sue tried to explain.

"But how?" Angela asked, looking from Sue to Pete and back again.

"We don't know." Sue mumbled, eyes overly bright.

Angela swallowed hard, "Well, I think I'd better be going."

"Are you just going to ignore it?" Sue called after her, "First Dad, now Pete! When are you going to face up to the fact that bad things happen?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know how to cope."

"Do you think we do!" Sue yelled, "You selfish bitch! If you slam that door and leave us, I bet we won't see you for years!" The door slammed shut.

There was an awkward silence, before Jake spoke, "Well, that has to be her new record for the shortest visit." Sue and Pete chuckled weakly, but Pete was scared that he still couldn't remember who Angela was, and didn't know how long it would be before he forgot who his real family were.


End file.
